Health Promotion for People with Physical, Cognitive and Sensory Disabilities: An Emerging National Priority

Abstract

James H. Rimmer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development,
University of Illinois at Chicago.
David Braddock, Ph.D.,Associate Vice President of the University of Colorado (CU) System, Executive Director of the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, and Endowed Coleman-Turner Chair in Cognitive Disability in the Department of Psychiatry at the CU Health Sciences Center

While there is a substantial body of literature on health promotion for the general population and for people with chronic disease (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, asthma), the vast majority of these programs have not been tailored to meet the specific needs of people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Secondary conditions resulting from a physical or cognitive impairment (e.g., paralysis, weakness, fatigue, spasticity, decreased cognition, maladaptive behavior) often require certain adaptations to various health promotion interventions to assure successful integration and outcomes. This paper addresses several issues related to health promotion for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and encourages health professionals to explore new ways to make their programs more accessible to this population.